So, yesterday I took my 6-year-old laptop to be fixed because a Dell remote support person messed up my HP while trying to fix her Dell. Long story. Long, annoying and jacked up story. ML told me to take it in and get an appraisal to see if it was worth getting it fixed. I was having problems getting pics and video off of it and think that when the Dell guy screwed up my drivers and other things that he messed up access to all of my libraries. So I ended up taking it in and letting him backup to my passport because I tried and it wouldn’t work.

On and off for an hour I cried about the potential loss of pics and video because I couldn’t see some of the videos from when she was little. And I don’t have but maybe 100 little snippet videos during her decade plus on earth, and many are from when she was a bit older. When she was born in the early 2000’s, there was no cloud or it wasn’t easy to back up a phone and there was no social media to be able to grab shared pics or videos from. I only have a few videos from that time so they are so precious to me.

Anyhow, the guy told me he would recover what he could and many things are on Google Photos, but they only go back for so long because Picasa no longer exists. In my view, this could potentially be a great loss. I would hate to not be able to see those videos again. It would break my heart. Literally. When I got the passport in 2015 it was to back up all of this data, but I didn’t fully back it all up. I thought I did, but somehow I did not. My fingers are crossed that when I pick it up today that there will be more retrieved that I thought.

Little things like this seem to rock our world or make feel devastating. But as I cried tears over videos, there were people around the world mourning real loss. A mother getting notified that her son did not survive an explosion in a military convoy in the Mid East. Or parents’ in an inner city neighborhood hoping that their missing son will return hears on the news that a body was discovered. These things happen everyday. But when one of my best friend’s texts me this morning to tell me her grandchild got killed in a car accident, my heart really hurt.

I thought it was a text from ML telling me he loved me or he woke up in the night thinking of me. Yes, he is that sweet! But it was a woman whom I used to work with last year when I worked at a college doing contract work. She had the most seniority in the department, but wasn’t treated well. Upon meeting her, she seemed a bit snobby, but she and I clicked immediately. She is one of the sweetest and most genuine Christian I have ever met. She really lives her life in a way that reflects Christ and is just a kind and warm lady.

No parent or grandparent ever thinks or wishes to live longer than their kids or grandkids. My friend B really had a huge hand in raising her too. Her daughter lives at home but travels a lot with the father of the child. So B was like a 2nd parent to this little girl. So I can’t imagine what she is going through or how much pain she is in. The child’s dad was riding in the car with his friend and the baby was in the backseat. The driver was going really fast and hit a tree and the 2 men survived, but the baby’s father is in critical condition.

I am sure besides the pain, there has to be a sense of anger and resentment towards the driver and the dad of this precious little girl. Anytime we as human’s have a loss of someone we love, it is utterly unimaginable as to how we will go on without that person. I even felt that way when I lost a family pet of 19 years. That animal was like my kid. So I can’t imagine this kind of suffering. Even animals grieve the loss of one of their offspring or another animal in their community. As great as life is, we all need to celebrate it, for life truly is fleeting.

The point of this post is that we all have little things that are upsetting. Yes it stinks if your car got hit in a parking lot, or you didn’t get the raise that you thought you would. Or if you had to deal with yet another breakup when you thought that he/she were the one. Those are all legitimate reasons to cry or to be down. Just because they aren’t major tragedies doesn’t mean that there is no validity in your tears or sadness. Just remember the little things that don’t work out the way we thought can’t even begin to matter in the grand scheme.

The examples I referred to above are earth-shattering and life-changing events. There will never be a complete recovery from such tragic losses. Yes, anytime we lose someone it is painful. But the sudden removal of someone from our live’s when we had no warning is hard to fathom. When going through our daily lives and assessing how our day went when someone asks, perhaps taking a look at the larger picture of life will be a surefire way to change perspective. It’s unrealistic to be happy all of the time, but appreciating today is important.

There are so many people around the world crying today for those who did not wake up today, or make it through the night. There are people as I type and sip my Starbucks and listen to yet another Friend’s episode, experiencing seemingly insurmountable trials and tribulations. So when lamenting about how wrong things are in life, taking the time to be grateful for another day, or thanking God for what is right is imperative. Because there is nothing more sad than having something and not valuing it or taking it for granted and have it taken away.

So, call your mom. Write that letter. Hug your loved one a time or 10 today. Tell people how you feel. Don’t waste precious time with a loved one by being caught up on likes and clicks when new memories can be created. Do not wait until it is too late to relish in and appreciate all of the great experiences, opportunities and people around you. Do not worry about what wrong you have done in the past, make the present count! Life is tricky and imperfect and hard at times, but the alternative is much worse…